Oil-tank heater



G. I. WORLEY AND C. E. LOGAN.

OIL TANK HEATER. APPLICATION FILED. JULY 13 I917.

" I Patented D60- 7,

WEQ Q WITNESS. Q? m5. Q Galjl wienwd dflLoa l. tg v ,5

UNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. WORLEY AND CHARLES E. LOGAN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI,ASSIGNORS TO THE GOOD ROADS 00., OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATIONOF MIS- SOURI.

OIL-TANK HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 13, 1917. Serial No. 180,449.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that we, (arnonen I. WORLEY and CHARLES It. LOGAN, citizensof the United States, residing at Kansas City, in

the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Oil-Tank Heaters, of which the following is aspecification. v

This invention relates to oil tank heaters and more especially toheaters for portable oil tanks of that class employed for oilingroadways The objects of the invention are to produce a heater by whichthe whole body of the oil or the like can be raised to anyrequireddegree of temperature without generating gas from the oil andtherefore without danger of explosion; to produce a heater which can beutilized to heat the oil-in the tank regardless of the quantity and asit is being supplied to the tank, as distinguished,

from those heaters in which the tank must be charged with oil before theheater is started in operation; and to produce a heater having a boilerthrough which heat is transmitted to oil in the tank to heat the sameand from which boiler steam may be supplied to the tank to clean thesame.

With these general objects in view, and others as hereinafter appear,the invention consists in certain novel and useful features ofconstruction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described andclaimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to behad to the accompanying draw-' ing, in which:

Figure 1, 1s a view partly 1n slde elevation and partly in centralvertical section of an oil tank heater embodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a rear end view of the same.

Fig. 3, is a cross section on the line IIL-III of Fig. 1.

Fi 4, is a cross section on the line IV- V of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 indicates an oil tank preferablyin the form of a horizontally-arranged cylinder and said tank isequipped with a filling tube 2 and with a suitable valve-controlleddischarge pipe 3.

Arranged horizontally within and longitudinally of the tank is a heatercomprising an inner cylinder 4 forming a combustion chamber and an outeror surroundin cylinder 5 constituting a boiler, the cylinder 4 proecting through the rear end of the cylinder 5 and the latter through thecorrespondmg end or head of the tank, the joint being made liquid tightin any approved manner.

The cylinder 4 is provided with a'smoke stack 6 extending up through thetank and the boiler is likewise provided with an upwardly projectinextension 7 inclosing the "smoke stack to t e top of the tank and isprovided with a closure cap 8, at such oint, the upper part of theboiler extension constituting a steam dome; Leading from said steam domeis a steam line 9 equipped with a steam gage 10 and terminating inbranch pipes 11 and 12, the former communicating with the boiler at itsupper side and rear end, and the branch pipe 12 with the said boiler ata lower point, the said branch pipe 12 containing a water column 13extending considerably above the plane of the cylinder a pair of sleeves18 and 19.

A gas generator-and burner is carried by said cap and is constructed asfollows:

20 is a short vertical tube arranged in the cylinder 4 rearward of theboiler tubes and "provided with a rearwardly projecting tubular stem 21closed at its rear end by a cap 22. The tube 20 depends from an elbow 23secured to the front end of a tube 24 extending longitudinally of andthrough the sleeve 18 and rearward of the latter is bent downward tosemi-circular form and at its lower end extends through the sleeve 19and terminates in a forwardly projecting nozzle 25 disposed rearward ofand in a slightly lower plane than the tubular stem 21 of tube 20.

26 is a pipe for discharging air "under Patented Dec. 7, 1920. i

pressure into the tank above the oil there in. 27 is a pipe leading fromthe chamber of the tank above the oil to the distributing nozzle 27 withwhich the discharge pipe 3 is provided, it being understood that thedistributing nozzle is a combined oil and air nozzle, suppliedrespectively by pipes 3 and 27 and that the pressure of air pass 1nthrough pipe 27 acts to effect ejection an atomization of oil suppliedby pipe 3, the atomized oil being discharged from Send nozzle onto theroad. The nozzle is not de tailed as it is described and shown in Pat-.oil as it escapes from the nozzle 29, the oil being supplied -to theburner from a suitable source not shown, through a valve-controlledsupply pipe 30, which extends through pipe 2 1 and discharges directlydown into tube 20, and is. controlled at the rear of the burner by avalve 31.

Assuming that the boiler is charged with water, it will be apparent thatthe heating operation can be started by inserting a torch or piece oflighted Waste into the rear end of the cylinder 4 and then successivelyopening the air and oil valves so that the oil which is supplied to tube20 and stem 21 by the pipe 30 will after filling said tube, flow backthrough tube 24 and thence to the nozzle 25, the suction ofthe airdischarged through nozzle 29 effecting ejection and atomization of suchoil and producing a combustible mixture which is ignited by the flamefrom the torch or waste. The method described is the preferred method ofstarting the operation of the heater but it is to be understood that ifat the time no air under pressure is available,

the oil can be permitted to flow from the nozzles 25 and 29 onto thebottom of the combustion chamber and in unatomized form be ignited by atorch or the like. In either event, the flame. and heat impinging on thesmall'tubu'lar stem 21 and the tube 20 will quickly vaporize oilstanding therein. Under. the preferred method of operation, the instantvaporization begins, the compressed air may be shut off, and theoilsupply valve temporarily closed. 'The gas generated in the burner tubeswill supply the. pressure necessary to effect'the forceful forwarddischarge of the gas from the nozzles during the entire operation of theheater, the fuel supply valve of course being continue as long as thesupply-of oil is maintained.

The heat generated first affects'the water.

in the boiler and the heat therefrom is transmitted to the oil or thelike with which the tank may have been previously charged or with whichit may be' charged while the heating operation is in progress, it beingobvious that as the heat is transmitted to the oil only through theboiling water and steam dome, it is impossible for the oil to come incontact with a part so hot as to result in the vaporization of the oiland the l i danger incidental to such action, this danger bemg such thatwith oil-tank heaters in which the oil is heated through direct con--tact with the shell or wall with which the flames come in contact, it isessential that the tank shall be charged before the heating operationbegins. It is obvious that any arrangement in which it is necessary tocharge the tank with oil beforestarting the heating operation isrelatively slow, as compared with apparatus in which the operation ofthe heater or the supplying of the oil to the tank can be performed atany convenient time. objectionable character mentioned, it is unsafe toattempt the heating of a volume of oil unless it is ample to cover theentire heater, whereas with apparatus of the character hereinillustrated, a small quantity of oil may be heated with celerity andperfect safety and in the actual practice of oiling roads, thisadvantage will be found to be a practical one, as it frequently occursthat the supply contained in the tank is ex-' hausted just prior tocovering the prescribed course and that considerable time could besaved-if a small quantity ofoil could be placed in the tank and quicklyheated to complete the oiling operation in progress. v

To clean the tank of oil or the like, so that it may be utilized ifdesired for discharging water, and also to clean the distributing nozzlethe steam supply pipe.9 is equipped with a branch 32, terminating 'invalve-controlled branches 33 and 34:, re-

spectively leading to the compressed air distributing pipe 27, forwardand rearward of the valve 27 thereof for supplying the distributingnozzle. this arrangement steam can be discharged through thedistributing nozzle to clean 'heavy oil or asphaltum therefrom or ifdesired, steam can be discharged back through pipe 27 into the tank forthe purpose of cleaning the walls thereof of heavy oil or asphaltumwhich would otherwise adhere thereto and thus Furthermore with apparatusof the render it undesirable and perhaps impracticable for a time atleast to utilize the tank for water flushing purposes.

We claim:

1. In an oil tank heater, a closed oil tank, a boilerextendinghorizontally in said tank and provided at one end with atubular dome extending upthrough the top of the tank, a flue extendinglongitudinally within the boiler from one end thereof nearly to theother and provided with a stack spaced from the side walls of the domeand extending up through the latter to a point exterior thereto and tothe tank, means for generating heat within the flue, a pipe connectingthe dome at the top, with the, opposite end of the boiler, a steam gageon said pipe, and. a by-pass between said pipe and the boiler, includinga water columnv extending from a plane above to a plane intermediate thebody of the boiler.

2. In an-oil tank heater, a closed oil tank, a boiler extendinghorizontally in said tank and provided at one end with a tubular domeextending up through the top of the tank, a flue extendinglongitudinally within the boiler from one end thereof nearly to theother and provided with a stack spaced from the side walls of the domeand extending up through the latterto a point exterior thereto and tothe tank, means for generating heatwithin the ,flue, a pipe connectingthe dome at the top with the opposite end of the boiler,a steam gage onsaid pipe, a by pass between said pipe and the boiler, including a Watercolumn extending from a plane above to a plane intermediate the body ofthe boiler, and means for discharging compressed air into the said flueadjacent the said heat-generating means therein, to vaporize the fuel ofsaid heat-generating means.

3. In an oil tank heater, a closed oil tank, a boiler extendinghorizontally in said tank and provided at one end with a tubular domeextending up through the top of the tank, a flue extendinglongitudinally within the boiler from one end thereof nearly to theother and provided with a stack spaced from the side Walls of the domeand extend ing up through the latter to a point exterior thereto and tothe tank, means for generating heat within the flue, a pipe connectingthe dome at the top with the opposite end of the boiler, a steam gage onsaid pipe, a by-pass between said pipe and the boiler, including a Watercolumn extending from a plane above to a plane intermediate the body ofthe boiler, means for discharging compressed air into the said flueadjacent the said heatgenerating means therein, to vaporize the fuel ofsaid last-named means, a Valve in said compressed air-supply means, andvalve-controlled pipes connected to said compressed air-supply means atopposite sides of the said valve thereof and to the steam supply pipe.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures.

GEORGE I. WORLEY. CHARLES E. LOGAN.

